Cascade Springs/ Alpine Loop

Last weekend Zac and I went on a little mini road trip adventure to check out the Alpine Loop! I had been seeing this scenic drive posted ALL over instagram, and decided I needed to check it out myself. My goodness you guys, it was well worth it!

We started the loop in Provo (where we were led via google maps), and it seriously was like an explosion of color. I swear the only words coming out of my mouth were, "Oh my gosh look how pretty!" and "Oh my gosh, look how PRETTY!" You just couldn't help but smile at the surrounded beauty, being completely enclosed by the mountains.

We continued our little adventure which ended up in an accidental missing of a turn, and ending up in Heber. Oops. But it was fine by us! Zac had seen a road going up through the mountains that he wanted to check out, and I am so happy we did. This road led us to the dirt road of Cascade Springs which was just unreal. It was nice just taking it slow, and really enjoying everything around us. We got out countless times just to look at the stunning views! The best part is it led us right back up to the top of the Alpine Loop, and we found some awesome camping spots we want to try out in the near future along the way!

If you are craving and adventure along with stunning views I would 100% recommend driving the Alpine Loop. There are so many places to stop and enjoy the views, plus there are a bunch of random trails all over the side of the road. We were a little crunched on time, so we didn't stop to hike at all, but it is definitely something we want to do soon.

One thing we noticed is that if you come through the entrance in American Fork you have to pay $6 for a three day pass. We aren't sure if we came through some back way, or never really started on the Alpine Loop, but we somehow ended up accidentally skipping this. But $6 for a three day pass seems well worth it to me! That is just a little heads up for any of you thinking of taking the time to go explore. Especially since most places like that only take cash, and can't break anything higher than a $10 bill.

Have any of you found some fun places to explore this fall? I am making a list of all the places I want to check out this coming year so SHARE SHARE SHARE!

Breakdowns

I swear one day I am feeling on top of the world, and that I have my life all figured out, and then the next day I am on the verge of a mental breakdown. This was my day yesterday. Does this happen to anyone else but me?

Yesterday was just a bad day for me, and when I sat back and thought about it I realized that it was all on me. I was the one stressing myself out, and for not reason at all. Do you ever have those days where you are either of sick of your job, or school, or anything really, and it is just for that day, but it is like all the sudden your head explodes, and you can't stop your thoughts from running wild? You put so much stress on finding that perfect job, or being this perfect person, and before you know it you are doing all you can not to break into a million tiny pieces? Why do we do this to ourselves?

It is ridiculous you guys. The need for being perfect, and comparing ourselves to everyone. Just days before you were thinking how lucky you are, and what a blessed life you have, and the next thing you know you have completely turned your back on that wonderful life, and instead are wasting your time trying to become someone you are not. I think we sometimes we just need to take a deep breathe, step back, and realize most of us have it pretty good, and there is just no need at all to do all this comparing and perfecting.

I guess the main point I am trying to get across is life is just too hard if your are constantly comparing yourself to others, and my goal from here on out is to change my attitude about that. Instead of being jealous of those who might be more successful than me, to instead be excited and proud for them! We should all be rooting for each other. Life isn't a competition! We should all get to CHOOSE the way we want to live without fear of not being good or glamorous enough.

Well this is the end of my rambling ladies and gentlemen. Here is to a new attitude, and to less breakdowns.

P.s- Pictures are from a Saturday adventure with my love to Bridal Veil Falls. We were driving through the Alpine Loop when we stumbled upon this beauty. It was too gorgeous not to stop and pull over to take pictures. I want to go back some day soon, and explore it a little more!

April 4

So you know those pictures you see on Instagram or Facebook of people you know who look like they are having way to much fun? Do you know the people I am talking about? People who post pictures like these..

To be completely honest with you, I used to HATE when people posted pictures like these. All I could ever think is, "Know ones life is that much fun" and "That is so fake." Then I got to thinking... who cares? Who cares if it is fake? Who cares if it looks like they are having way to much fun sitting on the floor of their best friend's bedroom? I bet at that very moment when a little piece of time was captured in a photograph they were having fun. Because you know what, it is fun to sit on the floor of your best friend's bedroom. It is fun to walk around the streets at night doing nothing but laughing and enjoying the crisp night air. It is fun to look like you are having way to much fun, because at that moment you are.

People are always complaining about people being so fake on Instagram or Facebook. I used to be one of them. They say that the photos they post are nothing like their real lives, and blah blah blah. You know what, you are right! Those photos probably aren't anything like there real life. The majority of us probably do the exact same thing. We sit around on the couch cuddling with our dogs (or cats), catching up on the latest episode of New Girl and Pretty Little Liars (oh, that's just me... shame). But when we do choose to put down the popcorn bowl and venture outside, everything changes. We want to capture the nights walking around the city, or laughing with our best friends. The nights we go to dinner at midnight, and order WAY to much food. We capture these moments with a photograph because these are the moments we want to remember. To tell you the truth, I don't see anything wrong with that. And I see now that the only reason it bugged me before is because I was jealous of all those best friend laughing, driving in the car listening to t swift rocking, city night walking, too much food eating photographs.

In all honesty, I never took these pictures for the fear of being judged the way that I used to judge.  Now I realize it is all kind of ridiculous. Who cares?!?! Like for real, who cares? I am angry that the fear of what other people might think has caused me to not capture memories I wish I had. The random ones that you look back on ten years from now, and can still remember every laugh and every word that night consisted of. So you know what I am going to do? I am going to start now. I am going to document. I am going to freeze those little moments of time into a photograph, because there is nothing wrong with that. If people have a problem with it, then they don't have to be a part of it. I am just ready to not let the fear of being judged control what I do. So bring on the pictures, and bring on the memories! And bring on the weird looks, because there are always plenty of those to go around.

*images via Pinterest